so i haven't actually bought a mini cooper yet, but i'm here researching the car to see if this is the best car for me.

i currently drive a 2003 dodge srt-4. i won't be selling this car, but it will be taken off daily duty and reserved for weekend play time. it's set up as a drag car now, and as such it's not the most confortable car to be driving around all day. not to mention that i'm paranoid about it because it's got quite a few visual mods (and some rather expensive rims) and i don't like to park it anywhere that i can't see it!

here's my cardomain site where there's info and pictures of the srt if anyone wants to take a look at it http://www.cardomain.com/ride/469951

so i'm basically looking to get something that i can use on a daily basis and i won't be tempted to mod it to the extent that my srt-4 has been done. i also want something that i could do some autox or a road course with if i feel like it, and as such i thought that a mini cooper could be great for this. i've done suspension work on my srt-4, but even so i know that a mini could run circles around it.

i have a friend that has a mini cooper s and it's heavily moded (twin charged) and that car is such a blast to drive. it handles awesome and it's fast as anything too. i love his car, and i would love to have one of my own!

i'll be lurking around the board gathering info and posting questions. i hope you don't mind me picking the brains of some of you on here!

 

Hey welcome aboard. It is a great site for information.

 

Welcome to NAM. This is a great site for researching. NAMlings may be more finicky than most so the archives are full of complaints. But it would be boring if everyone posted that nothing happened (which is probably 99.99% of the time).

NAM has enlightened me on the advantages of an MC over the MCS. Two friends bought MCs way before I placed an order for my MCSa. Because both are rather sporty types I was disappointed and could not bring myself to ask their motives. Now I appreciate that the MC handles very well, is not slow, and gets good gas mileage. I always knew it had the superior bonnet slope.

I enjoy my MCSa but am embarrassed by the under-23 mpg average. Just today a contractor asked me how I liked my car (happens often) and I told him it was fun except the fuel economy. He wasn't shocked and attributed a 1 mpg penalty to the automatic and wondered if the manual version would get only 24 mpg. He's been eyeing MINIs since petrol hit $3 per gallon.

 

intresting comment there about the gas mileage. i hadn't even thought about that. i get around 25mpg now in my srt, which is a combination of highway and city driving. i actually get better gas mileage now that i upgraded the turbo than i did before, go figure. i have to use 93 octane in it, and i was wokring under the assumption that the s would take it also, and get roughly the same gas mileage. i definetly plan on getting a manual, so that should help some. if i get anywhere from 23-25 mpg i'll be happy. that's good gas mileage to me!

 

I live in the mtns at 7700ft. i am ave. 39.2 mpg! with a Cooper S.
Derek